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Phillies selected LHP Andy Oliver from the Pirates in the Rule 5 draft.

Oliver getting selected comes as a pretty big surprise. The former Tigers prospect reached the majors in 2010, going 0-4 with a 7.36 ERA in five starts. The Pirates picked him up in the minor deal in 2012, but he failed to progress and was dropped from the 40-man last spring. Converted into a reliever last season, he had a 2.53 ERA in 64 innings in Triple-A, with 85 strikeouts and a whopping 47 walks. In 2013, he walked 112 in 124 1/3 innings as a starter. The stuff is there for him to be a useful reliever if he could ever throw strikes, but his control has been disastrous for years. Thu, Dec 11, 2014 01:24:00 PM

Pirates sent LHP Andy Oliver outright to Triple-A Indianapolis.

Oliver, 26, posted a 4.05 ERA, 1.70 WHIP and 138/112 K/BB ratio over 124 1/3 innings at Triple-A last season. A former second-round pick of the Tigers, Oliver will serve as organizational depth for the Pirates if he isn't picked up by another team. Sat, Mar 29, 2014 04:43:00 PM

Neither cut is a surprise. Oliver is an option for a potential spot start down the line or possibly bullpen duty. It will take an injury for Sanchez to get a shot. Fri, Mar 15, 2013 08:29:00 AM

Pirates acquired LHP Andy Oliver from the Tigers for C Ramon Cabrera.

Oliver was a second-round pick in 2009 and was once considered a fairly promising prospect. But he posted a 7.11 ERA and 1.83 WHIP in seven total starts between 2010 and 2011 with the Tigers and struggled this past year in the minor leagues. Perhaps the change of scenery will give his career a nice boost. Wed, Dec 5, 2012 05:48:00 PM

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Oliver, 26, posted a 4.05 ERA, 1.70 WHIP and 138/112 K/BB ratio over 124 1/3 innings at Triple-A last season. A former second-round pick of the Tigers, Oliver will serve as organizational depth for the Pirates if he isn't picked up by another team.

Oliver was a second-round pick in 2009 and was once considered a fairly promising prospect. But he posted a 7.11 ERA and 1.83 WHIP in seven total starts between 2010 and 2011 with the Tigers and struggled this past year in the minor leagues. Perhaps the change of scenery will give his career a nice boost.

The Tigers plan to have left-hander Andy Oliver pitch out of the bullpen during spring training.

Oliver was a candidate for the fifth starter job during spring training this past season, but the Tigers were impressed with what they saw when he was moved to a relief role with Triple-A Toledo later in the year. "We liked what he did out of the bullpen," said Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski. "Some of our people still think he should start, but I would say coming into spring training based upon how we're set up right now he would come in as a bullpen guy." The hard-throwing 25-year-old has battled control problems during his career, but he could contend for a roster spot as a second left-hander behind Phil Coke.

The Tigers have shifted Andy Oliver to the bullpen at Triple-A Toledo.

Oliver went 4-9 with a 5.18 ERA as a starter on the farm before hitting the disabled list prior to the All-Star break. That's all Detroit needed to see. "He's been out for a while," Detroit Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski said. "He's healthy. We weren't going to have a good time to stretch him out. The second thing is, we have often wondered how he would do in the bullpen ourselves, so we just figured it's a good time to make the transition for the rest of the year, see how it goes and take it from there." Oliver could be a September call-up, but he won't be fantasy relevant this season.

The Tigers haven't decided on a replacement for Doug Fister (side) but will watch Andy Oliver pitch on Sunday and Casey Crosby on Monday for Triple-A Toledo.

They could also pull Duane Below out of the bullpen to make the start. He tossed 2 1/3 scoreless innings in relief of Fister Saturday and picked up his first major league win. Oliver, Crosby and Below lost out on the No. 5 starter competition to Drew Smyly.

The move means that Drew Smyly and Duane Below are the two men left standing for the final spot in the starting rotation. Oliver entered spring training with a shot, but struggled with his control and gave up six runs over just three innings against the Astros on Tuesday. The 24-year-old southpaw still has a promising future, but he needs more seasoning in the minors.

CBS Sports' Danny Knobler wrote Sunday that it's appearing less likely that the Tigers will trade for a starting pitcher.

With Jacob Turner likely out of the mix, Andrew Oliver and Drew Smyly are the top candidates for the last spot in Detroit's rotation. Oliver seems like the favorite for the position, but Smyly rates as the better fantasy sleeper. Oliver, a 23-year-old southpaw, went 8-12 with a 4.71 ERA in 26 starts last year at Triple-A.

After Jacob Turner struggled, Andrew Oliver worked four scoreless innings out of the pen Monday against the Mets.

Oliver has allowed just one hit in seven scoreless innings to date (10 scoreless innings, if one includes his outing against Florida Southern), so he has to be the early favorite to serve as the Tigers' fifth starter. The team still might pick up a veteran prior to Opening Day.

Working in relief of Jacob Turner, Andrew Oliver pitched three hitless innings Wednesday in the Tigers' 5-1 win over the Braves.

Oliver walked three and struck out three. This was his first official outing of the spring, but he also pitched three scoreless innings and struck out six against Florida Southern on Friday. Combined with Jacob Turner's weaker performance today, his case to become Detroit's fifth starter has already gotten stronger.

Andrew Oliver pitched three scoreless innings and struck out six in the Tigers' 11-1 rout of Florida Southern on Friday.

Jacob Turner looks like the favorite right now, but Oliver is also in the mix for the fifth spot in Detroit's rotation. If neither youngster steps up this spring, then the Tigers might again look to make a trade.

Tigers pitching prospect Andy Oliver has posted a 5.84 ERA in six Arizona Fall League starts.

The former second-round pick has yielded a .286 opponents' batting average and has tallied more walks than strikeouts. Oliver has been highly effective in the past against left-handed batters, but it's hard to see him having success as a major league starter at any point in the near future. The 23-year-old southpaw went 8-12 with a 4.71 ERA in 26 starts this year at Triple-A.

Depth Charts

Chase Utley won't appear in any spring games this week due to lingering ankle soreness.

Utley suffered a mild right ankle sprain during a workout in January and the Phillies are easing him along in camp. The 36-year-old second baseman is not yet in danger of missing any regular-season action. He should only need around 40-50 at-bats in the Grapefruit League.

Cliff Lee (elbow) is scheduled to make his Grapefruit League debut on Thursday against the Astros.

The 36-year-old southpaw came into camp a bit behind schedule but felt good after throwing live batting practice on Wednesday. As long as he makes it through the spring healthy and exhibits normal velocity, he'll make for a very popular rebound candidate in fantasy drafts.